Trolley



(No Model.) v

E. LANE J. A. SNYDER.

- TROLLEY.

Nvo. 593,301. v Patented Nov. 9,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

TROLLEY.

SEECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o.

Application tiled April 24, 1897.

A0 all whom, t may con/cern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN LANE and JACOB A. SNYDER, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolleys; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

This invention relates to trolleys, and more particularly to that class adapted for use in connection with electric cars.

The objects are to provide a trolley which shall be of such construction as to obviate the necessity of reversing the pole at the end of the line, to provide means whereby inequalities in the wire will be. taken up or absorbed by spring action, so as to prevent jumping and consequent sparking between the trolley and the line, and, finally, to provide a trolley combining in a simple and compact form the necessary elements to produce the above results and in which the combination of elements shall be so organized as to present the highest possible utility in use, simplicity of construction, and cheapness in manufacture.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of a trolley pole and wheel, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure l is a view in plan looking down upon the trolley. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective displaying in detail the trolley-wheel-shifting device.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the roof of a car, to which is secured an ordinary platform d, to which the double trolleypole supports B are secured. These supports constitute, in this instance, each two plates h, between which is pivot-ed a yoke or head b, provided with an openin g extending longi- 593,3o1, dated November 9,1897. Serial No. 633,721. (No medal.)

tudinally of its length for the reception of a trolley-pole b3 and provided at its upper or outer portion with a cross-piece b2. As each trolley-pole in itself is the same, la description of one will answer for both. The trolley-pole is by preference rectangular in cross-section, in order to provide a trolley-wheel support which will be resilient vertically and practically rigid transversely, which construction will also prevent its turning in the opening in the head, and is provided at its lower end with a cross-piece h4, to each member of which is secured a spring b5, the free ends of which springs are secured to the ends of the.

cross-piece b2 on the top of the head. The upper or outer end of the trolley is provided with a yoke be, which is swiveled to a corresponding yoke 57 on the other trolley-pole, and through the joint produced by the meeting or free ends of these yokes is passed a shaft 228, constituting the bearing for the trolley-wheel b9, which may be of any preferred construction. Upon the shaft bs is also swiveled a yoke h1, to which is connected a rope or cordr which passes around a pulley a2, mounted between suitable supports secured to the roof of the car, ley a3 at the end of the car, the free end of the cord or rope being provided with a handle a4. The object of this cord is to depress the trolley-poles, and in the act of so doing the springs connecting the cross-piece at the lower end of the trolley-pole with the cross-piece on the head b will allow the poles to move longitudinally, but immediately upon strain being removed from the yoke these springs will cause the trolley-poles to resumetheir normal position and hold the trolley-wheel in operative contact with the line-wire.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. l, thek space between the yokes at the upper ends of the trolley-poles is greater than the width of the trolley-wheel. This space is provided for the purpose of allowing the trolley-wheel to have a considerable range of lateral movement in order to permit of the motorman bringing the wheel in contact with the wire, such arrangement being necessary from the fact that the trolley-poles have no lateral movement, and it will therefore be necessary to provide means whereby the wheel shall move to one side or the other a sufficient dis- PENNSYLVANIA.

and thence over a pul- IOn tance to compensate for any lack of absolute alinement of the line-wire. In order to shift the trolley to bring it into operative position with relation to the wire, we provide two L- shaped levers C, pivoted to the yoke at the trolley-head, the two levers being connected in this instance by a spring c. To the arm of each lever is connected a rope c2, which passes down through guides or runners c3 on the trolley-pole and over pulleys af on the' car-roof and are provided each at its free end with a handle. When the trolley-wheel is to be brought into contact with the trolleywire, either one handle or the other is drawn down, thereby shifting the trolley wheel either to the right or the left, as the case may be, to bring the trolley-wheel into alinement with the trolley-wire, as will be obvious. The spring connecting the levers serves to keep the ends of these levers normally away from and out of engagement with the trolley-wheel and are separated a distance substantially equivalent to the space between the arms of the yoke on the trolley-head, so that the trolley-wheel will be free to shift laterally without engaging with the levers,

and thereby prevent sparking and consequent loss of energy.

The two trolley-poles meet by preference over the center of the car at the point where there is least vibration, so that there will be less tendency of the trolley-wheel leaving the wire than when the wheel occupies a position to the rear of the car, and the stress or strain is directly downward, thereby exerting like pressure on the two sets of springs at the lower end of the respective trolley-poles, thereby tending to absorb and take up any strain or jar incident to inequalities in the line-wire.

While we have shown but one set of levers for shifting the trolley-wheel and but one rope for depressing the trolley-wheel, it is to be understood that we may duplicate these parts, so that a set of operating-ropes will be over each end of the car, thereby obviating the necessity of turning the ear, or, where such procedure is impossible, to provide efficient and reliable means for operating the trolley-wheel from both ends of the car.

Having thus fully described our invention, l

what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with two trolley-poles, each carrying a yoke and a trolley-wheel journaled between said yokes, of means for shifting the trolley-wheel laterally independent of the trolley-pole, substantially as described.

- 2. The combination of a car, of two pivoted heads, each provided with a longitudinal bore, a cross-piece' on each head, a trolleypole mounted in each of the bores and having at its lower end a cross-piece, springs connecting the two cross-pieces, a yoke' at the free end of the trolley-pole, a shaft connecting the yokes, a trolley on the shaft and means for shifting the trolley laterally, and for depressing the same, substantially as described.

3. The combination in 'a trolley-support provided with a pivoted head having a crossbar and guide-aperture through which the trolley-pole passes, of a trolley-pole provided at its lower end with a cross-bar, and springs for connecting the Lcross-bars to each other, substantially as shown.

4. A pair of trolley-poles mounted on pivoted supports having apertures through which the poles pass, springs for projecting said poles connected to the lower ends of the same and to the upper portion of the supports; together with yokes which are carried by the upper ends of the poles, said yokes being pivotally connected with each other, and a trolley-wheel mounted upon the connecting means between the yokes, substantially as shown.

5. In combination with a trolley-pole having at its upper end a yoke, a shaft carried by the yoke, a trolley-wheel mounted on said shaft so as to be movable laterally thereon; together with levers pivoted upon the yoke and means for moving the levers in engagement with the trolley-wheel to adjust the same on vits shaft, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a trolley, the combination with a pair of continuous trolley-poles mounted on pivoted supports through which the lower ends of the poles pass, of springs connected to the trolley-poles and to the supports, yokes carried by the upper ends ofv the poles, a shaft pivotally connecting the yokes,

a laterallymovable trolley-wheel mounted on said shaft; together with means for moving the trolley- `wheel laterally, and means for lowering the poles, substantially-as shown and for the purpose set forth.

IDO

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN LANE.` JACOB A. sNYDnR. y 

